


Some Nights are Good

by secondhandact



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Beaches, Caliginous Romance | Kismesis, F/F, Flirting, Flushed Romance | Matesprits, Pale Romance | Moirallegiance, Quadrant Vacillation, Swimming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-14
Updated: 2017-07-14
Packaged: 2018-12-02 06:56:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11504091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/secondhandact/pseuds/secondhandact
Summary: You don't have to spend every second fighting the war. Sometimes, you can steal away. Sometimes, you can find a quiet spot that nobody knows about and spend a night in the moonlight.





	Some Nights are Good

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fieryhuntress](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fieryhuntress/gifts).



Nepeta eyes the surf doubtfully. It had taken some work to get her into bathing wear (Terezi hadn't bothered; she'd pulled off her shirt and pants and charged into the water in her undies) and now, without her hat or her gloves, she's shivering on the beach, hugging her arms. "I don't know." She frowns, looking over your shoulder at Terezi (who is flinging herself through the waves with unadulterated glee). "Is it cold?"

 _Cold_ has a hesitant sound to it, and you consider the question. You don't really feel the cold—your body is insulated against it—so you, too, glance at Terezi. "Not _reely_?" You venture cautiously. "I can't reely say! I minnow, it's not cod to _me._ " You can't help your giggle. "You don't have to get in if you don't want to," you add, seeing Nepeta bite at her lower lip. "You can just sprawl in the sand and soak up the light. Bask like a shark."

She digs her toe into the sand. "You won't mind?" 

You shake your head. "No, of course not."

Nepeta sinks down onto the towel spread out on the sand. You kneel next to her and press a kiss to her forehead and she makes a soft purring sound that's cuter than _waves_ , and you're careful not to kick sand in her face when you turn to sprint down the shore.

The water is lapping at Terezi's knees, and she's got her tongue sticking out of her mouth. "The air tastes salty," she informs you. "And there are sharp somethings under the sand."

"Clams," you supply, splashing past her. You don't stop until you can throw yourself forward and let the water catch you and close over your head. The waves wash over you and when you break the surface you do so laughing. 

Terezi's...well, not _watching_ you, but she's pointed in your direction, and there's a smile on her face. Flushing, you sink low in the water, so it's lapping at the bridge of your goggles, and you feel your earfins droop. "What?"

"You're cute."

Your cheeks are probably purple. "Oh."

Terezi's laughing this time, and she splashes water in your direction. Grinning, you dip under the waves and bolt towards her, catching her by her thighs and yanking roughly at them. She yelps when she goes over and comes up sputtering.

You offer her a frond up, standing in the shallow surf. "Still cute?"

"Even cuter," Terezi informs you, and she gives your hand a tug when she rises, pulling you off-balance and against her. She wraps her arms around you, long fingers combing up into your hair, finding your horns and stroking gently at them.

You could stay here forever, you think, and for a moment you just remain still against her chest. She's incredibly strong, and you can feel that power in her arms, strong and tight around you. It makes your blood hum, and you bite gently at her chest, making sure she's aware you could break her skin if you wanted to. In return, she settles her hand at the back of your neck, her claws pricking at your skin, and you let your lips draw back into a snarl and your fins flare. Today isn't a day for black romance, though, so you only hold the threat display for a second before nuzzling at her throat. She hums her approval and then taps your shoulder, pointing behind you. 

Nepeta's come down to the surfline and has her toes in the water. She's watching the two of you with a small, happy smile on her face.

You thought it'd take _hours_ before she was comfortable enough to come down to the water, and you break away from Terezi, dancing through the waves to the other troll. Breathless, you drop yourself into the sand next to her, elbows on knees and water dripping from your hair. "Gonna come swim with us?"

She ducks her head. "I'm okay just watching you two. You're purr-etty cute."

You brush a hand over her side, tickling at her skin, and are rewarded with giggles and gentle swats. "You're alshoal sea-riously adorabubble, you know!" You tickle her until she pushes at your hands, and then you rest them on her thighs. "You don't have to come swim if you don't want to."

Terezi sits down on the other side of her, and she kisses Nepeta's cheek. "You can stay on the shore where it's safe. Even though I know you could take down anything that's out there."

Nepeta grins, baring her teeth up at Terezi. "Fierce hunter."

"The very fiercest."

You tangle your fingers briefly with Nepeta's, giving her hand a squeeze. Then you're up and wading deeper into the water. The surf is calling your name, and you have every intention of answering the call.

* * *

You count yourself lucky that neither of your partners seem unhappy that you want to stay at the beach until the moon goes down and the air starts to get cold. You sit in between your two girlfriends, Nepeta's skin still damp against yours and Terezi's hair a stiff, knotted mess of dried saltwater. You pluck idly at the flapbeast's nest, trying unsuccessfully to worry some of the more intense knots out of her dark locks as you watch the last slivers of moonlight stop turning the clouds green and purple and vanish below the horizon. 

It isn't often the three of you get together. There's a war that still needs fought, somewhere else across the galaxy. The universe had ended (or so they told you) and now it was starting again, and you had a responsibility to make sure that things didn't go wrong this time around. Fighting a revolution doesn't allow for a lot of free time or kindness.

But for right now, you aren't an empress. For right now, you're sitting between your moirail-sometimes-kismesis and your kismesis-sometimes-matesprit and for _once,_ everyone's happy. For a moment, everything is even.

"Tomorrow," Nepeta murmurs, "We have to see Karkitty and Equius." There's warmth in her voice—she loves anything that brings her close to her moirail, and you're more than ready to see the two of them. "We should wake up early," she adds, yawning.

"We should," you agree. "But that's tomorrow."

She nods, shifting against you, stretching. It's Terezi who breaks the silence. "My current hive is close to the drop point. You two can stay with me, I guess."

You shove idly at her shoulder, making her laugh. The drive home is shorter than the drive in, and you fall asleep with the smell of sea spray in your nostrils.

You wish there were more good nights like this.


End file.
